Keoni Buenavista
Date: 05/16/2022
Prompt: What is the importance of volunteerism in communities and businesses?
Volunteerism is an important, if not vital function in communities because of many reasons one of those being because it helps to strengthen communities and families. In volunteering, individuals or groups help others in some, way, shape, or form, through service. This service may be needed in all places in a community, such as in businesses, neighborhoods, and public services. Many groups of people, when it comes to volunteering like to give their service to go work towards fighting the effects of natural disasters in their local areas. Different regions of the world, experience different types of disasters. For example, the midwest part of the United States experiences tornadoes, hurricanes, and harsh snow; while the west coast experiences more frequent earthquakes, flooding/storms, and wildfires. Volunteers who are willing to receive training in how to help handle a situation like the ones I have recently stated in their local areas are useful to emergency responders like the police, fire department, EMTs, and Paramedics. Organizations like CERT or Citizen’s Corps integrate training into their programs which allows volunteers to have some basic training to deal with a possible incident that was to occur.
Training individuals in natural disasters usually take-up up 5 sectors of responsibility with those being: Medical treatment, Medical Triage, Search and Rescue, Safety, and Fire suppression. Starting with Safety, individuals responsible check on volunteer members before they fulfill their responsibilities to make sure that they are safe and well-equipped for the job that they are going to do. These individuals also determine safe or unsafe working environments, ensure a team’s accountability, supervise operations where volunteer members and victims have a physical risk and tell volunteer members when unsafe working conditions are present.
Fire Suppression Team (2 people). Work under the supervision of a Team Leader to suppress small fires in designated work areas or as needed; when not accomplishing their primary mission, assist the search and rescue team or triage team; assist in evacuation and transport as needed; assist in the triage or treatment area as needed, other duties as assigned; communicate with Team Leader.
Search and Rescue Team/Extraction start work under the supervision of a Team Leader, searching for and providing rescue of victims as is prudent under the conditions, also bringing injured people to triage or the hospital for medical treatment; when not accomplishing their primary mission, assist the Fire Suppression Team, assist in the triage or treatment area as needed; other duties as assigned; communicate with Team Leader.
Medical Triage Team/Field Medics work under the supervision of a Team Leader, providing triage for victims found at the scene; marking victims with category of injury per the standard operating procedures; when not accomplishing their primary mission, assist the Fire Suppression Team if needed, assist the Search and Rescue Team if needed, assist in the Medical Triage Area if needed, assist in the Treatment Area if needed, other duties as assigned; communicate with Incident Commander.
An equipment trailer belonging to the Springfield, Illinois CERT program.
Medical Treatment Team. These individuals work under the supervision of the Team Leader, providing medical treatment to victims within the scope of their training. This task is normally accomplished in the Treatment Area, however, it may take place in the affected area as well. When not accomplishing their primary mission, assist the Fire Suppression Team as needed, assist the Medical Triage Team as needed; other duties as assigned; communicate with the Team Leader.
Even with untrained individuals or groups of people, they can still make a difference, even if it is a small one. For the natural disaster incidence example, they can help with logistical needs, such as getting medical supplies, food, water, and other useful items. Another type of way that untraining volunteers could help us with planning and donations as well. If organizations that help first responders during an emergency are given further tools or funding to do their jobs, it is incredibly helpful and has a large impact. Individuals who may not have an interest in the risk involved with volunteering in natural disaster situations may also get involved in schools, corporations (businesses), for the environment, or online (virtual).
Starting with the importance of environmental volunteering and what it is; it refers to the volunteers who contribute to environmental management or conservation. Volunteers can engage in a wide range of activities that include projects such as environmental monitoring, restoration of ecosystems(, like re-vegetation and weed removal), protecting endangered animals, and educating other volunteers or groups about the natural environment. From this, service in this category for communities is not only helpful to local ecosystems, but also for education, and perhaps persuades others to be more environmentally conscious.
Volunteering virtually is another way that people have helped their community or other communities. Popular virtual volunteer opportunities related to education such as tutoring for a subject, helping to teach others a language (or practice), or giving advice and information to others who want to go down a certain career path that the volunteer may already be in. This form of volunteering is important as it provides a way for others to help those within or outside their community if they cannot attend in=person events or opportunities.
The last form of volunteering has to do with schooling and corporate volunteering. With the business side of volunteering, people can help them to maintain sustainability efforts or do simple things for the experience. In schools, this has relation to virtual volunteering, regarding education, but it may be in-person. Resource-poor schools around the world rely on government support or efforts from volunteers and private donations, to run effectively. In some countries, whenever the economy is down, the need for volunteers and resources increases greatly. To add to this, there are several opportunities available in school systems for volunteers. This form has shown its impact as cultural and language exchange during teaching and other school activities can be the most essential learning experience for both students and volunteers.